Blue Jackets extend three coaches; Larsen joins staff

Associate coach Craig Hartsburg, goaltending coach Ian Clark and development coach Chris Clark all received multiyear contract extensions. Richards signed his own extension last month, and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said at the time he was working on contracts for the rest of the coaching staff.

"Our coaching staff, led by Todd Richards, has done a tremendous job and we're pleased to extend the contracts of Craig, Ian and Chris and to add a very bright young coach in Brad Larsen to the staff," Kekalainen said. "We believe our coaching staff is as strong as any in the NHL and that they will continue to play pivotal roles in the development and success of our team moving forward."

Larsen, 36, had served as coach of the Springfield Falcons, the Blue Jackets' American Hockey League affiliate, after concluding a 13-year playing career that included 294 games in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche and Atlanta Thrashers.

Larsen had a 92-45-15 record and won the Northeast Division twice in as many seasons as Springfield coach. In his first season, he guided the club to a 45-22-9 record, which represented a 21-point improvement over the previous season. The Falcons posted the first 100-point campaign in franchise history in 2013-14, finishing with the AHL's third-best record at 47-23-6.

Hartsburg, 54, has more than two decades of coaching experience, including stints as coach of the Chicago Blackhawks (1995-98), Anaheim Ducks (1998-01) and Ottawa Senators (2008-09). He has been part of the Blue Jackets staff for the past two seasons.

Ian Clark, 48, joined the Blue Jackets as goaltending coach for the 2011-12 season after serving in a similar capacity with the Vancouver Canucks for eight seasons. A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, he was a member of Canada's coaching staff at the IIHF World Junior Championship from 2003-06, winning two gold medals (2005, 2006) and two silver medals (2003, 2004) in that time.

Chris Clark, 38, has served as development coach for Columbus since retiring as a player following the 2011-12 season. He had 103 goals, 214 points and 700 penalty minutes in 607 games with the Blue Jackets, Washington Capitals and Calgary Flames over 11 NHL seasons.

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